NCAA, UC, Sued By College Football Players

City College could have plenty of Favres in the making

​A San Francisco football player is suing the NCAA, Cal State, and the University of California, claiming they are keeping him and other junior college athletes from playing Division I sports.

Reginald Davis, a full-time student at City College of San Francisco, says he has been recruited by a number of Division I schools to play football. Yet he is not eligible for financial aid, despite the fact that he maintained a 3.35 GPA while attending City College.

In the suit filed in San Francisco this week, Davis and six other players from across California are challenging a rule  that forces them to achieve higher academic standards before they can transfer to a four-year university, get financial aid, and play Division I sports.

Here is the back story: According to an old Southeastern Conference rule, the players have been classified as "nonqualifiers" upon high school graduation, meaning they did not meet the academic criteria needed to attend, play ball, and get financial aid at a four-year university.

Nonqualifer students were required to attend a junior college and achieve a 2.0 GPA while completing 48-semester hours before they could transfer to a four-year university and be eligible for financial assistance.

The Southeastern Conference later amended that law, adding even more academic requirements so that junior college students attempting to transfer would "have the tools for success," according to the suit.

Yet Davis and the other players say this hurts, not helps student athletes who are ready to play sports on a more competitive level.

They claim the new rules, which went into effect in 2009, were not based on any analysis showing that the additional academic requirements are necessary. The new standards are only weeding out hard-working student athletes from Division I teams, according to the suit.

This affects a disproportionate number of student athletes who "are from communities of color or who grew up in an at-risk environment," the complaint states.

The class adds that "attending a junior college is their only option for continuing their education after high school and their last meaningful chance for success."

Hat Tip: Court House News

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